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Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Breakfast Bagels vs. the Dollar Menu Sandwich

This is just a tiny little money scenario that makes me stop and think about how important it is to pay attention to every dollar. Now, tell me if this seems ridiculous to any of you? The bagels that I like (the not so cheap ones) coast $3 for a pack of six (on sale) and the cheap bagels cost $1.50 for a pack of six (on sale). The $3 ones are a much better quality. Little Abe and I really enjoy a good bagel for breakfast but every time I buy the six pack of bagels for $3 I hesitate, "do I really want to spend $3 on these? Ugh, that's so much!" We honestly really enjoy them though and they're very filling so I do pick up a package of them when they are on sale.

I usually work in the afternoons but this morning was going to be a "go into work early day." I woke up and honestly decided within two minutes that I was going quick get out the door by going through the McDonald's drive thru and getting a coffee (I think I have a free one) and a sausage mcmuffin for $1.06. (We have 6cents sales tax here)

Here's the question: why do I feel like buying a $1 menu sandwich is such a great deal when it costs twice what the "expensive" bagels from the grocery store that I always have to talk myself into getting cost?

Theoretically (because I would never eat a bagel every single day of the year for breakfast or get a mcdonald's sandwich every morning but theoretically) If I ate a bagel every single morning for a year it would cost $182.50 for my yearly bagels (that sounds silly just to type out). If I ate a mcd's sandwich from the dollar menu every morning for a year it would cost $386.90. The mcd's dollar menu sandwiches which always seem like a REALLY GREAT deal would cost me $204.40 MORE for the year than the expensive bagels from the grocery store. For the record the bagels are as filling if not more so than the sausage mcmuffin.

I think convenience and a "great deal" can trick us into thinking really silly things when it comes to money. $204.40 is a lot of money! It makes me wonder how many other things I cheat myself out of $204.40 because they seem like a great deal. *To be clear, I probably go through the McDonald's drive thru two or three times a month at the most and only ever get a coffee and $1 menu item but the point still stands.
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10 comments:

I think it's completely ironic that you posted this today because just this morning I was thinking along the same lines. I had gotten a package of whole wheat English muffins off the day old rack at the store for 75¢ but I really am not wild about the whole wheat kind- I like the regular kind. But these were cheap and a super deal so I got them. I decided that I was going to make them go down easier by frying an egg and adding a slice of cheese to make an egg sandwich. It was soooo good and I didn't even notice the whole wheat part of it. Anyway, while I was eating it I was thinking about how much it would cost to get an egg sandwich at the fast food place and how much better mine tastes than what I would be buying there. I was also thinking about back in the day when I was single and driving to work at 5am every morning, stopping for coffee and a bagel on the way to work, and I mentally cringed thinking how much I must have spent eating out back then. This sounds weird to say, but I am so glad that we have had times where we were so broke we had to re-evaluate the way we spent every penny. It has made us wiser and happier to live the way we do now. I often think, "If I knew then what I know now.............." :)

I sometimes feel crazy for breaking things down like this "$240" saved in a year, but that's really what helps put it into perspective for me. I didn't go to Mcd's this morning by the way. I don't think I even wrote that in the post :)

I'm SOOOO with you, "If I knew then what I know now...." Aint that the truth! I agree with you too, there are so many things that I make at home that I just have to think, "this is really so much cheaper and I like it more."

I'm glad you found a yummy use for the whole wheat english muffins too :)

We all must be going there but I did cave and spent $21 on a mediocre take out pizza, pasta side and cheese bread. Had I just even bought a couple frozen pizzas and a microwave pasta I'd have spent 1/2 as much.

I do this when I start to get in the habit of buying snacks at work instead of taking the two minutes it takes in the morning to grab something to take with me. If I spend $1 a day on snacks, that's $260 a year on snacks. When I can buy the same foods at the store in larger packs, portion the food myself and only spend a third of the amount of money.

You're all helping me to feel not so crazy. Thank-you! I often have to do these sorts of comparisons to talk some sense back into myself (the $1 menu is not really all that great of a deal) and then I'm like, "wow, I'm a crazy person. Who adds up how much more a $1 sandwich costs than a bagel?"

I'm the same way! If I plan ahead for a purchase, then I'm fine with the expense, but if it gets thrown at me last minute I freak out. It's the same purchase and the same money, but it's the psychological aspect that is different.I'm a math nerd too, don't feel bad. I add things up all the time. I take a year and divide the cost by 52. I multiply things out by number of weeks. If you plan ahead and make the bagels w/egg and cheese and put them in the freezer, you can take them out and microwave them and have instant "egg mcmuffins"! So yummy and quick!